The present invention relates generally to plastic shake used for siding an exterior wall of a building. More particularly, the present invention relates to vinyl shake having a textured appearance for imparting to the exterior walls of a building a rustic or wood-like appearance typically conveyed by wood shake panels and the like.
The vinyl material of the shake of the present invention is noteworthy in that it is more highly weather-resistant than is aluminum or wood otherwise conventionally used for siding a building. However, because of the vinyl composition of the shake, and the properties of vinyl, the vinyl shake is more apt to expand and contract to an extent that is much greater than is typically associated with aluminum and/or wood shake.
As a consequence, when a vinyl shake is exposed to extreme temperature of the summer heat and winter cold, the various interconnecting elements between each vinyl shake of the conventional variety may loosen and result in a dislodgment eventually of the adjoining shake members.
Another difficulty typically associated with conventional means for securing vinyl shake siding to a building is the fact that often the nailing is exposed at least partially to the weather elements and is subject to deterioration.
An object of the present invention, hence, is to separate the manner by which the neighboring or adjoining shake members are joined or interlocked with one another, on the one hand, and the manner by which each of the shake members is affixed to the exterior wall of a building by nailing, which nailing is concealed from exposure to the weather conditions, and is thereby protected.
It is another object of the present invention to insure that as each vinyl shake member undergoes severe expansion and contraction, as a consequence of the extreme weather conditions to which the shake are exposed at different times of the year, that the expansion and contraction do not affect the manner and integrity by which the shake members, on the one hand, are secured to the exterior wall of a building and, on the other hand, remain interlocked with one another.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide shake members of vinyl material that are durable, reliable, and that are aesthetically pleasing in the form typically conveyed by wood shake.
Further objects and advantages of this present invention will become apparent hereinafter as the description of the invention proceeds.